11/15/2007 – Fatima

Today was a travel day so we spent most of our time on the bus. It is a 390 Km drive from Salamanca to Lisbon so it took most of the day. On trips like this it’s good to have a travel day now and again. Sometimes things can be scheduled so tightly that it gets tiring. Travel days allow you to relax with a book or your iPod and catch up.

The highlight of today was a two and a half hour stop in Fatima, Portugal. We had lunch and then the rest of the time we could use to explore the esplanade built around the small chapel where the Virgin Mary appeared to three children. The chapel is off to the side of the esplanade and on either end is the older Fatima Basilica and the Igreja da Santissima Trindade that just opened last month. From the south end of the plaza there is a path that is about 30m long that ends in the Chapel of Apparitions. This path is used by the devout to crawl on their knees and it is kept free for these people to use.

During the peak time of the year the number of pilgrims at any one time can number into the hundreds of thousands. In fact the new Igreja da Santissima Trindade church can hold 9000 worshipers and is the fourth largest Catholic Church in the world. When we were there only a few hundred people were scattered throughout the esplanade.

I visited all of the places throughout the plaza. I said a few Hail Marys at the Chapel of Apparitions and walked through the Basilica and Igreja da Santissima Trindade church. One of the highlights for me was the statue of Pope John Paul II that is outside the Igreja da Santissima Trindade. A Polish sculptor did it and it is a popular spot among the faithful who visit.

After Fatima we had another two-hour drive to Lisbon. Unfortunately we were delayed in Fatima by an ambulance that was blocking the street. It seems that an old woman who usually took the elevator down to the lobby of her apartment decided to take the stairs today. She fell and injured her ankle. The paramedics took care of her but weren’t available to move the ambulance until they had her loaded in. Hopefully she is doing well tonight.

We made it to Lisbon where we will stay for two nights. We just had dinner in the hotel and turned in early. Tomorrow will be one of those tightly scheduled days.

Chapel of Apparitions



Fatima Basilica and esplanade



Fatima Basilica interior



Pope John Paul II statue



Igreja da Santissima Trindade exterior



Igreja da Santissima Trindade interior